Exhibition catalogue for the exhibition "The Hubble Space Telescope: Twenty Years at the Frontier of Science"

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This is the exhibition catalogue for the exhibition "The Hubble Space Telescope: Twenty Years at the Frontier of Science" at the Palace Loredan, 16 September–15 October 2010.

This exhibition celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, one of the most ambitious scientific projects ever undertaken. Named in honour of the famous astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) — responsible for the discovery of the expansion of the Universe — the space telescope was the result of close international collaboration betweenNASA and ESA. Placed in orbit in 1990 by the Space Shuttle Discovery, Hubble is a telescope with a mirror 2.4 metres in diameter. Hubble’s position above the atmosphere allows it to observe the Universe at wavelengths not accessible from the surface of our planet, such as the ultraviolet. Its location also places it above the atmospheric turbulence that causes stars to blur and twinkle when observed from the ground, enabling it to obtain strikingly clear images.